Some of my group workshops are portable so if you’d like me come and teach a hands-on session in your own space, please get in touch. For details and prices of any of the tuition I offer, please contact me directly.
If you run an event and want to book me for a talks or demonstrations about any aspect of my work, please contact me directly to discuss the options. Examples of previous talks I have presented and workshops I have led are listed below.
TALKS AND PRESENTATIONS
“Monograph of the Meropidæ”
A talk given to members of the Atheneaum Club on Pall Mall in London, 2023
In 2022 I presented the Atheneaum club with a binding of a book from their library’s collection: a copy of, “Monograph of the Meropidæ”, or “Family of the Bee eaters”. I was able to select this text to rebind and chose it because of the wonderful hand-coloured illustrations of Beeeater birds within it. In 2023 I presented a talk to over fifty members of the club, not many of whom were knowledgeable about bookbinding as a profession.
I was invited back to the the club in 2025 to take part in a show and tell with three other binders who have also bound books which now live in this rather grand venue. Both events were brilliant opportunities to show our work in person and also answer questions posed to us by a very enthusiastic group. These members will be able to see and handle the bindings over many years to come, it was therefore really important that our books would be sufficiently robust to stand up to years and, hopefully centuries, of enjoyment.
It is always great to revisit one of your previous bindings in person, although I always make and keep a sample board from each project there’s nothing like seeing the physical book again, being able to handle it and flip the pages.
“Embroidered Bindings: From Design to Sample Board”
Presentation at The Society of Bookbinders Conference, 2022
I was asked to speak at the 2022 Society of Bookbinders Conference in Bath. The talk started with a bit of information about my background and how I got into bookbinding. It then centred upon the sample boards I make for each of my bindings: the purpose of them; how they are made; and how they have become a very important part of my working practice as a bookbinder.
To read the presentation please visit the blog section of my website here.
WORKSHOPS
“Wrapped Paper Pamphlet Binding”
An evening of beginners bookbinding for the Women’s Institute, Somerset
Level: Beginner
I taught a group of sixteen members of the Women’s Institute a beginners bookbinding session ahead of Christmas 2025. The “WI” is the UK’s largest women’s organisation, founded in 1915 to support rural communities, provide education, and give women a voice, now known for friendship, campaigns, learning new skills and making a difference in communities. WI members meet locally and I was invited to teach a session of bookbinding suitable for beginners for a group of sixteen women.
We made a “Wrapped Paper Pamphlet Binding” which is a beginner-friendly technique and is perfect for new binders because it requires only a few tools, most of which can be found at home. Most of the attendees had never made a book before, however two hours later everyone had made at least two resulting in over 32 books being produced!
I took along a selection of lovely patterned papers for the covers (some Christmas-themed and others not…) which were combined with coloured card and cartridge paper and sewn together with a pamphlet stitch. A pamphlet binding refers to a simple bookbinding method where all pages of a booklet are folded into a single “signature” and then stitched together along the spine with thread, usually using a few holes, creating a basic, often small, bound document; essentially, a pamphlet is held together by a single folded section stitched at the fold line. Our version included a decorative paper cover to conceal the sewing threads on the outside of the binding.
“Beginners Bookbinding: Three Different Structures”
A series of three evening classes at the Old Stores Studio in Evercreech, Somerset
Level: Beginner
I was invited to teach a series of three evening classes, working on a different simple bookbinding structure each week: A Wrapped Paper Pamphlet Binding; A Long-stitch Binding; and a Concertina binding. All these structures are perfect for beginners or those with a curiosity for handmade crafts with no prior experience required. This course blended creativity with practical skills, making it a rewarding experience for both seasoned crafter or complete novices, with plenty of one-on-one support.
Using a delightful selection of coloured and patterned papers alongside bookcloth, the participants of this three week course made make a series of books and picked up a range of new skills to carry on making at home.
“Various Bookbinding Sessions”
For different Regions of The Society of Bookbinders
I have done multiple different sessions for the Society of Bookbinders. The Society of Bookbinders (SoB) is a UK-based educational charity dedicated to promoting and preserving hand bookbinding, offering training, workshops, and resources for traditional and contemporary techniques, with a global membership that connects enthusiasts, practitioners, and restorers through events, publications like the Bookbinder journal, and regional groups for hands-on learning and community.
Sessions have included: “Concertina Stub-binding” for the Western Region and the East Anglian Region; “Embroidered Leather Notebooks” for the Midlands Region; and “Making Bookbinding Tools” for the London and South Region.
“An Embroidered Leather Notebook”
A day of Tuition at AceArts in Somerton for their Summer School programme of events, 2025
Level: Beginner
I taught at a wonderful venue, ACEarts Art Gallery and Education Charity, in Somerton. The dedicated exhibition space at ACEarts hosts a dynamic range of art exhibitions throughout the year and their programme incorporates stimulating associated events and workshops.
I was last there in 2019 to teach the same one day workshop: “An Embroidered Leather Notebook”. On the day I guided participants through a hands-on, creative journey into the basics of embroidery on leather for bookbinding. You can add very attractive surface decoration, texture and colour to bindings with simple techniques such as applying coloured leather onlays and sewn detail, both of which will be taught over this day course.
The day started by making an embroidery sampler to test out different stitches. The stitches learnt were then used to decorate the cover of a single section notebook with a wraparound leather cover. From embroidered outlines to fully appliquéd sections, different stitches can be utilised to great effect to build up a design.
“Origami Paper Baubles”
A session for The Ark Bank in Shepton Mallet, 2021
Level: Beginner
I was invited along to The Art Bank in Shepton Mallet to run an afternoon workshop making origami paper baubles. The Art Bank is a vibrant, community-run creative hub in a former bank building, featuring a cafe, a bar, and the Rubbish Art Project, which transforms waste into art, promoting environmental messages and social change through workshops, exhibitions, live music, comedy, and events for neurodiverse and LGBTQ+ communities.
The session involved learning the folds required to make striking Christmas baubles from a range of plain and patterned papers. There was an option to make large individual baubles, or a series of smaller ones to string together into a garland with which to decorate your house or Christmas tree. No previous origami experience was needed, just the willingness to fold and glue papers!
“Woven Paper Hot Air Balloons”
A session for The Ark Bank in Shepton Mallet, 2021
Level: Beginner
Also held at The Art Bank in Shepton Mallet (please see details above). The pattern for the woven paper hot air balloons made in this workshop comes from the company, PaperMatrix. PaperMatrix belongs to Lene and Anna Schepper, a Danish mother-daughter team who revived and modernised the traditional craft of paper weaving, creating intricate 2D and 3D geometric forms like spheres and hearts, documented on their blog and in books, inspiring many with their creative approach to weaving strips of paper. They are known for transforming classic Danish woven paper ornaments into complex, beautiful art pieces, often using mathematical principles in their designs.
Participants created their own little individual three-dimensional hot air balloon. Each balloon was woven from laser-cut paper paper templates to make a small hanging ornament, great to give as a gift or to hang up at home.
For details of the following courses that are also available as travelling tuition, please visit the “Group Workshops” section in the Tuition menu on my website.
“Leather Onlays, Inlays and Scarf-jointing for Fine Binding” (one day duration)
Level: Beginner to Intermediate (previous experience of working with with leather preferable)
“Concertina Stub Binding” (one day duration)
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
“Embroidered Leather Notebooks” (one/two day duration)
Level: Beginner to Intermediate
“Soft-Covered Paper Notebooks” (half/one day duration, also suitable as a 2 hour evening session)
Level: Beginner
“How to ‘paint’ with embroidery threads” (one/two day duration)
Level: Intermediate
“How to Title Books with Alternative Techniques” (one/two day duration)
Level: Intermediate